hafely



l (No Model.)

A. o. HAFBLY. v

BOOK CLASP.

No. 374,674. Patented Dec. 13, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED C. HAFELY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BooKoLAsP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,674, ate December13, 188'7.

Application filed October 10, 1887. Serial No. 251,910. -(No model.)

To all wh'om it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED C. HAFELY, of the city and State of vNeWYork, have nvented an Improvement in Book-Clasps, of which the followingis a specifieation.

Before my present'invention a clasp for books had been made by myselfand others in which a stationary screw with right and left hand threads,or a springconnected to one cover, had been made to act upon two armshinged together and adapted to receive at the hinge the stud or pin uponthe'other book-cover, the

clasp acting to draw the book-covers toward s each other as the ends ofthe hinged arms were spread apart. The hinged arms, however, beingexposed to view, are objeotionable, especially with albums and expensivebooks. In my present invention I make use of a? hinged box connectedWith one cover, a plate sliding Within the box and adapted to engage astud upon the other cover, and a toggle arm or arms within the box andacting to draW the plate inwardl y, and thereby close the book firmly.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a clasp with the Gap-plateof the box removed. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the parts as applied tothe cover of a book. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar to Fig. 1, but illustratemodifications in the arrangement of the toggle.

The olip-plates A B are of any desired character, and they are to befastened upon the cover at the edges, as usual. The clip-plate B has astud or hook, 2, that engages the plate D when the clasp is closed. Thebox E is pivoted to the plate A by the ears 3, through which the screwor rod 4 passes, and this rod passes into or through the box E near oneedge, and usually there are heads 5 to the rod 4, and such rod isscreW-threaded Within the box E, and the plate D slides into the box Eat its slotted outer edge. The toggle F is p'ivoted at 6 to the inneredge of the plate D, and at 7 to the nut I around the rod 4. If the rod4 is screwthreaded With right and left hand threads,

there Will be two nuts, I, and two diverging toggle-links, F, as seen inFig. 1. If the rod 4 is screw-threaded in one direction only, thetogglelinks F will be parallel, as illustratedin Fig. 3; or only onelink, F, and one nut, I, may be used, as seen in Fig. 4. In either instance the movement given to the nut or nuts I by the rotation of thescrew-rod 4 draWs the plate D inwardly, or forces it outwardly bychanging the angle of the togglelink or link F, and thereby the clasp`is made to either draw the book-covers toward each otheror to allow theCovers to separate for opening the book, and the movement of the plate Dis rectilinear, and the parts that act upon the same are out of sightand Within the box E, and this boxE and plate D can be made of anydesired ornamental character, and they are strong and durable.

The sliding plate D can he partially or entirely inclosed by the box E,and such box E may be made without the Gap-plate, if desired, the plateD being suitably connected to the other parts of the plate or box E.

Iclairn'as my invention- 1. The combination, With the clip-plates A Band stud or hook 2, of the box E, pivoted to the clip A, the plate D,sliding within the box E, the screw-rod 4, nut I, and toggle F,

connecting the nut I and plate D and serving to move such plate in orout as the screW-rod is rotated, substantiall y as set forth. 2. Thecombination, with the clip-plates A B and stnd or h'ook 2, of the box E,the sliding plate D, the toggle F, connected at one 8o end' to the plateD, and mechanisrn, substantially as specfied, for acting on the otherendof the toggle and sliding the plate, as set forth.

Signed by me this 5th day of October, A. D. 1.887.

ALFRED O. H AFELY.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, WALLACE L. SERRELL.

